One Friend
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: [WS] They'd always been the odd group of Chosen and partner digimon.
1. 1

**A/N:** Written for the Becoming the Tamer King Challenge, Training Peak task, and for the Diversity Writing Challenge, c8 – a drabble novel.

* * *

 **One Friend**

 **/1/**

They were an odd pair of Chosen children.

One didn't have a partner at all. The other had a partner that was a virus type.

At least Ryo could think he simply hadn't found the right partner yet, that his partner hadn't been born or was currently unavailable or _something_ … And there was a two out of three chance that it wouldn't be shunned by most of the digital world, would wind up data and vaccine since those were the two "good" types of digimon and all the virus ones were bad –

Not that he thought Wormmon _was_ bad. But that was because he knew Wormmon. And Ken. And they were both his friends.


	2. 2

**One Friend**

 **/2/**

He first met Ken through his brother, Osamu. But there'd always been something stand-offish about Osamu. And something sad but sweet about Ken. So Ryo found himself asking after the young boy. And playing with him when he could spare the time…

And he realised he could spare the time more and more as the weeks went on. Because playing with Ken wasn't at all about putting himself three years behind mentally. Ken was too bright for that. And it wasn't about simply wasting time. They were talking about meaningful things. And doing meaningful things too, but still having fun while doing it. Because it wasn't a necessity. Not like with Osamu. Not like at school.

It was choice and Ryo loved that.


	3. 3

**One Friend**

 **/3/**

Ken was sweet. And slick. When he didn't agree with something, he made it known and then let the matter go so it didn't just slide under the rug, so he didn't just topple over like grass to be pushed in any direction. But he didn't push disagreement into an argument either. And he rarely complained; he tried to weather things out, whether it be the endless studying sprees his brother got into, or the lack of attention from his parents…

Ryo noticed more and more about him, and began to hang out with him more and more as well. Because he wanted to lavish Ken with attention, the attention he seemed to want from his family but couldn't ask for. It was obvious if they looked more closely. It was obvious to Ryo looking in – but the Ichijoujis always seemed to miss the signs and Ken didn't push it.


	4. 4

**One Friend**

 **/4/**

One day, the digital world happened. Osamu wasn't home and Ken found an egg on his computer and panicked and called Ryo. Ryo was happy at the excuse to go over, especially since he could see the egg on his own computer and knew it was a digimon and not a computer virus.

They watched it develop. They wanted the digimon attack it – Agumon and Gabumon and Tentomon and Patamon. He watched Agumon most closely of all. Agumon who'd been by his side during his adventure in the digital world. Agumon who was Taichi's partner, not his own.

And there was Taichi too, on the screen. And another boy with dark blond hair, arms wrapped around the MetalGarurumon. And they fit. They fought. They won.

Ryo had fought and won as well, but not like that.


	5. 5

**One Friend**

 **/5/**

The next day found himself caught in fighting again. Part of him just wanted to say no when Gennai called, but how could he? That world was in danger – and though he had acquaintances and no really close friends in that world (unless Agumon counted…did he?), their troubles spilt into this one. How could he not go and fight when there was no-one else?

He hadn't expected Ken to be sucked in after him, or for Taichi and Agumon who were supposed to help to become statues, or for Ken to be stuck on his own through a dimensional portal they could only speak through and not touch.

At least Ken had Wormmon. That was what Ryo thought then. And he himself had a V-mon fated for another Chosen, but a V-mon nonetheless.

And they had the portal, like a phone or a computer, to communicate with.


	6. 6

**One Friend**

 **/6/**

The portal left much to be decided. Ken was smiling but half the time it seemed like he was faking it. Ken wasn't supposed to do that. He was supposed to show exactly how he felt before brushing it away and replacing with other, equally honest, feelings. He wasn't supposed to keep on smiling when he obviously didn't feel like it.

'I'm happy to see you.' Always the same greeting. 'I'm happy to see you.'

Ryo was happy to see him too, but also sad. Because he couldn't see what was going on behind the scenes this time and he couldn't be by Ken's side to make it better.


	7. 7

**One Friend**

 **/7/**

They fought Milleniummon. They won. Ken got sick and they went back to the human world.

Ryo, for the first time, saw Osamu angry for his brother's sake. And he wasn't all wrong. Somehow, he knew it had to do with Ryo, had to do with that device that had come out of the computer – the digivice. He didn't know about digimon or Chosen or the digital world but still he knew that much, and he knew Ryo had left Ken alone and let this happen to him.

Even if Ryo hadn't mean to leave Ken alone, it had happened. Even if he wasn't technically alone since he had a partner in Wormmon – but who knew. It could be the same situation as Ryo and Agumon, as Ryo and V-mon.

It wasn't. He learnt the truth a few weeks later.


End file.
